Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 108

"My patience is wearing very thin. Do not test me, or you'll be the one in pieces."

The second the words left Stella's mouth, she swung the bat sideways, smashing the massive flat-screen TV on the wall into an explosion of shattered glass.

Miranda scrambled to her feet, practically sobbing. "I'm going upstairs to get it right now! Just please, don't do anything crazy!"

"You have exactly one minute!" Stella shouted after her. "Sixty seconds! If you're not back down here, I'm using Chloe for target practice!"

Cowering behind the sofa, Chloe didn't dare make a sound, her hands shaking as she furiously texted Frederick.

[Dad, she's a monster! She's actually going to kill us! Please hurry!]

Stella casually tapped the bat against the back of the sofa. "Hey, stop texting. If you want help, calling the cops would be faster. Frederick's junk car isn't going to get him here in time."

Clutching the pillow to her chest, Chloe shakily stood up. "Y-You... murder is illegal!"

"Who said anything about murder? I'm a perfectly law-abiding citizen. Why would I kill anyone? What are you so nervous about?"

"Y-You... assault is illegal too! Put the bat down!"

"Fine, fine. Look at you, shaking like a leaf." To Chloe's shock, Stella actually lowered the weapon.

Seeing the bat drop, Chloe let out a shaky breath of relief.

She knew it. Stella was nothing but a loud-mouthed country thug trying to act tough. She had almost had a heart attack!

"Why are you still shaking?" Stella sighed, suddenly shoving the bat directly into Chloe's hands. "Here, you hold it. The shaking is annoying me."

Right at that moment, Miranda hurried down the stairs. Stella had only given her one minute, and she hadn't dared to stall.

She was clutching a small velvet box containing the bangle.

Equally terrified, Miranda pulled the bangle out of the box, threw the velvet casing aside, and held the jewelry high in the air. "Don't you take another step! Or I will smash this bangle into dust, and you'll get nothing!"

Stella's eyes locked onto it. It was, without a doubt, her mother's violet jade bangle.

That lying bitch. When she first demanded her mother's belongings, Miranda had sworn it was broken.

She had kept it for herself this whole time!

Hoarding a dead woman's jewelry. Disgusting.

Stella let out a dark laugh. "Do it. Smash it. The second that jade hits the floor, I break your arm. Then I break Chloe's legs. Let's see if that teaches you a lesson."

She slowly raised the bat back over her shoulder, the gleaming metal a stark, violent contrast to the delicate jade held hostage in Miranda's shaking hand.